By: Annakleta Haikera
Kavango East police said 27 people died on the Kavango River between April 2020 and December 2021.
According to the police, some were murdered and thrown into the river, others drowned, while crocodiles and hippopotamuses attacked others.
Of the cases reported by the Kavango East regional police, 20 are Namibian men, six Namibian women and a Zimbabwean man.
On Tuesday, a 48-year-old Shifafure Pontianus Kanyanga’s body was found floating in the river at Shikoro village, Ndiyona Constituency.
Due to the deaths, some residents in the two Kavango regions fear for their lives after the discovery of the bodies floating in rivers.
Olavi Shivhute, a Rundu-based resident, says he has been living in fear since discovering Kanyanga’s body in the river at Ndiyona, Mukwe Constituency.
“I have been in the Kavango for 40 years now, and people will go to the river and come back, put their livestock by the river, and they used to collect water with no harm done to them. But in this case, these dead bodies that were found by the river, I am assuming it’s people that are close to us that are following us to the river, then murder us, then let it look like someone has drowned or perhaps been eaten by the creatures in the water.”
He said that he strongly believes that people are committing murders and dumping the bodies by the river, hoping the water will clean up all the evidence.
“Let me just advise people to be very careful when you are with friends or when you are going to look for your cattle at the river. Don’t go alone but go with someone.”
Another resident of Rundu, Regina Kangumbe, says she believes that the deaths are simply due to the heat people in the town are experiencing.
“Because with this heat that we are experiencing and the shortage of water in Rundu, people will just go by the river to swim and have fun not knowing that there are a lot of creatures in the river and perhaps those that want to murder you, and let it looks like you drown in the river.”
The entire Rundu town has been without water on a few occasions this year due to debts owed to Namwater, which forced residents to go to the river to fetch water.
“I want to advise all parents to be extra careful who their children associate with when going to the river. Life is a precious thing and let us be extra careful.”
She further called on the police in the Kavango region to educate people on what to be aware of when going to the river to save lives.
Timothy Haingura from Kahenge in the Kavango East region said he suspects that the increase in discoveries of bodies in rivers is due to human trafficking.
“The fact remains that this is the festive season, and on the black market, there is now on sale many body parts which are found cut off. That’s to take those body parts and sell them off to the market. We as youth should be careful with the type of friends we associate ourselves with.”
In October, the police reported that 35-year-old Engidius Kayanguya from Sauyemwa in Rundu was discovered floating in the Kavango River with some parts missing, including testicles.
“Some friends will tell you, ‘Let’s go to the river and swim,’ knowing you cannot swim because you are not a person that’s always going out. Then perhaps when you are under the influence of alcohol, and you try to swim, knowing you cannot, those strong waves can drown you.”
In September this year, the Hambukushe Traditional Court fined eight people to pay N$22 000 and 15 head of cattle each over the death of Unam student Mukuve Kanyanga, whose body was also found floating in the Kavango River.
The eight were fined for negligence that led to the student’s death.
